Foundation garment



July 25, 1967 A. J. KAPLAN 3,332,426

FOUNDATION GARMENT Filed Nov. 26, 1965 2 Sheetsheet l /NVE/VTOR A T TOR/VE Y July 25, 1957 A. J. KAPLAN FOUNDATION GARMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 26, 1965 FIG. 2

ALBERT J /fm/s/A/ Afm/V. Mw

9 y Arron/ver United States Patent O 3,332,426 FOUNDATION GARMENT Albert J. Kaplan, 835 Castle Point Terrace, Hoboken, NJ. 07030 Filed Nov. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 509,809 8 Claims. (Cl. 12S-433) The invention relates generally to foundation garments and, specifically, to foundation garments for persons having a more than ample figure.

It is among the objects of the invention:

(l) to provide a foundation garment which can be easily applied and adjusted to various bodily contours;

(2) to provide a foundation garment which w1ll accommodate itself tothe girth of the wearer, and will by reason of its restricted ability to stretch vertically in the abdominal area, lift the abdomen;

(3) to provide a foundation garment which by reason of its ability to stretch horizontally in the hip area, will accommodate itself to move into the size of the wearer during walking;

(4) that will provide an auxiliary panel to give a special uplift to the abdominal area;

(5) to provide a foundation garment in whrch an auxiliary panel is adjustable both as to girth as well as height, so that such panel may be adjusted either upwardly or downwardly with respect to the normal position of the foundation garment;

(6) to provide a foundation garment which will tend to mold the bodily contours to assume a normal aspect.

These objects and advantages as well as other objects and advantages may be attained by the foundation garment shown by way of illustration in the drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view with the center opening partially unhooked to expose the inside of the garment;

FIGURE 2 is a front elevational view with the center opening nnhooked to expose the aps enabling the application of an auxiliary panel;

FIGURE 3 is a front elevational view of the outer side of the auxiliary panel;

FIGURE 4 is a rear elevational view of the inside of the auxiliary panel showing the pocket;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the auxiliary panel showing the pocket; and

' FIGURE 6 is a front elevational view of a hip panel detached from the inside of the foundation garment.

Persons having a more than ample figure present special problems for the foundation garment designer. Some of these problems have been dealt with in the prior patent of the present inventor, No. 2,634,417, issued April 14, 1953, for a foundation garment. The present invention represents an improvement and a redesign of that foundation garment to make it especially suitable for persons having an abnormally large abdomen, to give complete yet comforatable support, to provide a means for restraining the position -of excess flesh, and to provide a foundation garment that can be adjusted with ease by the wearer without the assistance of third persons.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the foundation garment has a tubular fabric body 11 made of material which is stretchable bot-h longitudinally and latitudinally. A binding 12 is applied to the top and bottom edges of the body 11. At the front, the body 11 is provided with a central opening 13 extending from the top to the bottom. The central opening 13 has vertical edges which are secured together, offset from those edges by vertically disposed hooks 14 on one side, and cooperative eyes 15 on the other side. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, there is only one row of vertical hooks 14,

3,332,428 Patented July 25, 1967 ice although additional vertical rows can be used. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, a second vertical row of eyes 16 is provided, and in addition, further rows of vertical eyes can be provided in order to accomplish greater flexibility of adjustment. On the inside of the body, there is an abdominal panel 17. The abdominal panel 17 is divided in half and each half disposed on opposite sides of the opening 13. It is noted that the tubular fabric body 11 is preferably made of material sometimes referred to as power-knit; that is to say, this material is made of elasticized yarn capable of elongating both vertically and horizontally. The panel 17, however, is not made of this material as will be hereinafter noted. The top of the panel 17 has edges sloping downwardly and outwardly from the center opening, as will be seen in FIGURE 1. The bottom of the panel 17 is rounded; the sides are straight. The panel is made of material whose threads are stretchable only latitudinally (horizontally) and not longitudinally (vertically). It is attached by stitching it along its edges. This panel 17 reenforces the elasticity of the body 11; it stretches only horizontally, but not vertically, thereby tending to lift and hold-in a sagging abdomen, whereby reason of age, loss of muscles tone, disease or accumulation of fatty tissue, the abdomen tends to sag. The two rows of eyes 15, 16 permit the selection of tension that the body 11 may exert upon the figure. The inability of the panel 17 to stretch vertically, causes the body to resist the downward or falling tendency of the abdomen, by limiting the ability of the two-way stretchable body to stretch downwardly, yielding to the bulge of the abdomen. In addition to the one-way stretch abdominal panel 17, hip panels 18, 18 are provided at the sides. These hip panels have straight botto-m edges attached in coincidence with the bottom edge of the body 11. The size of the panels 18, 18 are vertically straight, and the top edge of the panels are rounded. These panels are attached to the body 11, as was the abdominal panel 17 by stitching. The material of which the hip or side panels 18 is made, is the same material as is used for the abdominal panel 17, except that it is reoriented, so that panel 18 is stretchable vertically and not horizontally. In this way, the hips are held in; but the vertical stretch of the body 11 allows for free movement of the sides when the wearer walks.

Since this garment is primarily idesigned for persons having an above average abdomen, the front opening 13 enables the garment to be easily applied to the body. The front opening 13 also permits the application of an adjustable internal auxiliary panel 19. Large amounts ofV body 11 in the case of persons having an abnormally large abdominal proportion. Consequently, the need for the auxiliary panel 19 is readily apparent. The auxiliary panel 19 accomplishes this. On the inside of the body 11, at the front portion, there is shown in FIGURE 2 that a provision is made for the auxiliary panel to be applied.

Flaps 26 are attached to the inside of the body 11, equidistant from the opening 13. These flaps are disposed approximately half-way between the center opening 13 and the point representing the center of the side of the body 11. The aps 20 are each provided with two vertical rows of eyes 21, 21, which are applied on the face of the ap opposing the inside of the body; this arrangement prevents the eyes 21, 21 from coming into contact with the flesh of the wearer, and likewise shields the esh of the wearer from any hooks engaged with the eyes. The two rows of eyes 21, 21 enable the choice of attachment of the auxiliary panel 19 to be varied to exert the desired degree :of tension by choosing any one of the four rows of eyes 21, 21 disposed on the two flaps 20, 20. Further, the two rows are longer than the side edges of the auxiliary panel 19, so that the panel can be attached upwardly or downwardly to accommodate the bodily contours of the wearer; i.e., the panel can be positioned at the top of the rows of eyes 21, 21, extending downwardly therefrom, or at the bottom of the two rows of eyes, extending upwardly therefrom, thereby giving the auxiliary support at a number of chosen points, depending upon the length of the rows of eyes. This is accomplished because the panel 19 is less in height than the flaps 20, 20, and the rows of eyes 21, 21. The panel has hooks 22, 22 on the face adjacent to the abdomen; these hooks lie underneath the ilaps Ztl, 20 when the hooks 22, 22 engage the eyes 21. The panel 19 has a pocket 23.. When restraint is applied to the body of the wearer, folds of excess flesh are sometimes formed. These folds tend in some cases to gradually slip beneath the bottom edge of the body 11. This can usually be avoided by tucking the folds of excess esh into the pocket 23. Thus, the entire abdominal structure is supported without sagging. The auxiliary panel 19 is preferably formed of the same material that the body 11 is formed. This is a material which is stretchable in two directions. Thus, the internal or auxiliary panel tends to exert its restraining force both horizontally and vertically. It is also possible to construct the auxiliary panel 19 of a material which is stretchable either vertically, or horizontally, rather than in both directions, although the single molding stretch is normally adequately supplied by the abdominal panel 17 permanently affixed to the interior of the tubular body or the hip panels 18, 18 permanently -aixed to the inside of the tubular body.

The person desiring to wear the garment, slips into it by inserting arms through the straps. The auxiliary panel 19 is then engaged by its hooks 22 with the selected vertical rows of eyes 21, 21 for the desired degree of tension upon the abdomen. In addition, the panel 19 is positioned higher or lower on the row of eyes 21 to give the support to the degree required at the place desired. Thus, the auxiliary panel 19 may be placed rather high if it is desired to lift the bodily contours to a high degree. On the other hand, if support is required at the lower portion of the abdomen, the auxiliary panel 19 may be located at the lower end of the strip of eyes 15, 16. Excess flesh may be gently inserted in the pocket 23. Then, the front opening is closed over the panel 19 by engaging the hooks 14 with either selected row of eyes 15, 16. As the figure conditions change, by reason of loss of weight, adjustment or repositioning of bodily organs, restoration of muscle tone or the like, the auxiliary panel 19 may be relocated upwardly, or its tension adjusted by selecting another of the several rows of eyes 21, 21. A garment is therefore provided which is easily applied by the wearer, is comfortable and is easily adjusted by the wearer without the help of another person.

The foregoing description is merely intended to illustrate an embodiment of the invention. The component parts have been shown and described. They each may have substitutes which may perform a substantially similar function; such substitutes may be known as proper substitutes for the said components and may have actually been known or invented before the present invention; these substitutes are contemplated as being within the scope of the appended claims, although they are specifically catalogued herein.

What is claimed:

1. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) an elasticized tubular body having a central, vertical front opening;

(b) first cooperative means on the tubular body for releasably securing the front opening in the tubular body closed;

(c) a generally rectangular, elasticized auxiliary panel;

(d) second cooperative means on the inside of the tubular body and the side edges of the auxiliary panel for releasably securing the tubular body and the auxiliary panel together at opposite sides of the front opening;

(e) the second cooperative means being longer than the side edges of the auxiliary panel whereby the panel may be selectively attached at various chosen positions inside the tubular body, at the second cooperative means attached to the inside of the tubular body at a point spaced away from the front opening.

2. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) a vertically divided abdominal panel attached to the tubular body at each side of the central opening;

(c) the abdominal panel being stretchable only horizontally.

3. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) a hip panel attached to the tubular body at the side thereof',

(c) the hip panel being stretchable only vertically.

4. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) a vertically divided abdominal panel attached to the tubular body at each side of the central opening;

(c) the abdominal panel being stretchable only horizontally,

(d) a hip panel attached to the tubular body at the side thereof;

(e) the hip panel being stretchable only vertically.

5. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) the auxiliary panel being stretchable both horizontally and vertically.

6. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) a pocket on the auxiliary panel.

7. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) the second cooperative means on the inside of the tubular body being mounted on generally vertical aps.

8. A foundation garment comprising:

(a) the device according to claim 1, and

(b) a vertically divided abdominal panel attached to the tubular body at each side of the central openms;

(c) the abdominal panel being stretchable only horizontally;

(d) a hip panel attached to the tubular body at the side thereof;

(e) the hip panel being stretchable only vertically;

(f) the auxiliary panel being stretchable both horizontally and vertically;

(g) a pocket on the auxiliary panel;

(h) the second cooperative means on the inside of the tubular body being mounted on generally vertical aps.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,005,612 6/ 1935 Cunningham 128-436 2,309,501 1/1943 Cohen 12S-432 FOREIGN PATENTS 5 47,07 8` 8/ 1942 Great Britain.

ADELE M. EAGER, Primm Examiner. 

1. A FOUNDATION GARMENT COMPRISING: (A) AN ELASTICIZED TUBULAR BODY HAVING A CENTRAL, VERTICAL FRONT OPENING; (B) FIRST COOPERATIVE MEANS ON THE TUBULAR BODY FOR RELEASABLY SECURING THE FRONT OPENING IN THE TUBULAR BODY CLOSED; (C) A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR, ELASTICIZED AUXILIARY PANEL; (D) SECOND COOPERATIVE MEANS ON THE INSIDE OF THE TUBULAR BODY AND THE SIDE EDGES OF THE AUXILIARY PANEL FOR RELEASABLY SECURING THE TUBULAR BODY AND THE AUXILIARY PANEL TOGETHER AT OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FRONT OPENING; (E) THE SECOND COOPERATIVE MEANS BEING LONGER THAN THE SIDE EDGES OF THE AUXILIARY PANEL WHEREBY THE PANEL MAY BE SELECTIVELY ATTACHED AT VARIOUS CHOSEN POSITIONS INSIDE THE TUBULAR BODY, AT THE SECOND COOPERATIVE MEANS ATTACHED TO THE INSIDE OF THE TUBULAR BODY AT A POINT SPACED AWAY FROM THE FRONT OPENING. 